<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Out of the Blue by Artifiction</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25895389">Out of the Blue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artifiction/pseuds/Artifiction'>Artifiction</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Emelan - Tamora Pierce, PIERCE Tamora - Works, Will of the Empress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:40:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25895389</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artifiction/pseuds/Artifiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On Quen's conversation with Tris after she tames a storm on the Syth. And a bit of Briar. As a treat.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Out of the Blue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="md-end-block md-p md-focus">
    <em> <span class="md-plain md-expand">Her student Keth had described the lake’s storms to her so eloquently that Tris would even forego reading to watch one...</span> </em>
  </p>
  <p class="md-end-block md-p">
    <em> <span class="md-plain">...Finally she had turned the entire storm into a ball the size of her hand...</span> </em>
  </p>
  <p class="md-end-block md-p md-focus">
    <em> <span class="md-plain md-expand">...Briar, who had helped Tris to walk, stepped in. He turned her around and lifted her up to sit on the wide, flat rail, then went to get food for the redhead. While he did that, Quenaill sat beside Tris, smiling at the scowling girl.</span> </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="md-end-block md-p md-focus">
  <em> <span class="md-plain md-expand">From Chapters 6-7 of Will of the Empress</span> </em>
</p><hr/><p><span class="md-plain md-expand">Tris knew her bones were going to ache for days after dragging the storm into her braids. If it had been anyone but Briar helping her to sit up on the rail of the terrace, she might have snapped at them. She </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">hated</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> the way the ladies who now sat with Daja had flinched when she'd gotten close. </span> <em> <span class="md-plain">Like I'm possessed or unnatural.</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> It was always like this after a working. Her body hurt, and people cringed away. </span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain md-expand">"It's the lot of great mages." She hadn't noticed Quen approach. In response to her glare, he merely hopped up onto the rail to join her, seemingly unconscious of how he was crumpling his fine courtly clothing. "The more wondrous a thing you do, the less people like it. A juggler with no more magic than this pastry—" he bit into the cream puff in his hand, paused politely to chew, then looked appreciatively at the remaining half of the puff "—less magic, even, gets more applause then a girl who ties up storms into her hair like they're ribbons."</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">Tris resisted the urge to smack his evidently magical cream puff out of his hand and off the terrace. He was trying to be kind, she supposed. </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">Or charming.</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> For all that she didn't care for people offering her pitying kindness, they were better than those who offered charm. Then again, he was a great mage, too. Maybe it wasn't pity at all. Maybe it was sympathy. </span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">"Has it happened to you?"</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">He smiled wryly. "Of course. The Emperor's Comet, two years past."</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">Tris's eyes widened. She hadn't heard about this. "A comet? What happened?"</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">Quen ducked his head. He was always so cocky, it was odd to see him embarrassed. </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">Or pretending to be,</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> whispered the nasty, suspicious part of her. "The honorable Emperor of Yanjing sent our mistress an unexpected gift from the heavens. We were out in Dancruan, for the Longnight celebration. The Empress carries the torch which fires the great-lights that burn until Carp Moon. We were atop the tower that holds the </span> <em> <span class="md-plain">shamash</span> </em> <span class="md-plain">, the chief of the great-lights, when the sky suddenly blazed like the sun had returned two months early."</span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">Ishabal had wandered up to them, looking amused. It seemed she'd overheard. "It lit the clouds from horizon to horizon, like a sunset falling from above. I've never seen the like." Her voice carried wonder, and a touch of something Tris couldn't place. </span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">"What happened next?"Tris couldn't hide her eagerness, aching bones and ungrateful ladies forgotten.</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">Quen looked pained. Manners demanded he defer to Isha. The older mage let him stew for a few moments, then smiled beatifically and patted Tris's shoulder. "Quen tells it best." She moved on, out into the crowded terrace.</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">Quen, prompted, continued. "I felt it before I heard it. When comets fall, they fall so quickly they outrun sound, like how the flash of lightning outruns thunder. I could sense </span>
  <span class="md-pair-s"><em><span class="md-plain">magic</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> in it. Magic of </span> <em> <span class="md-plain">this</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> world. Yanjing magic." His lips quirked. "I knew it pretty well, by that point. I didn't have time to think. I threw the biggest, strongest shield spell I had at it, shaped like a dome over Dancruan. Isha says I lit up like I was trying to become the </span> <em> <span class="md-plain">shamash</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> myself. She fed as much of her power into me as she had to give. When the comet struck the shield, they both shattered. It </span> <em> <span class="md-plain">rained</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> molten gravel. If there hadn't been two feet of snow on every roof, the whole city might have burned." The memory was clearly one he was proud of, but Tris could hear in his voice he knew how close he'd come to disaster. "Not a single stone large than my thumb came down within the walls of Dancruan." </span> </span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">Now </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">that</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> was just pride. Tris put her hands on her hips. "And I suppose you strolled away from it unharmed?"</span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">That startled a laugh from him. "Gods, no. The backlash from the shield spell threw me clear off the roof. I fell thirty feet into a snowdrift. Isha pulled me out, still glowing, out cold. I woke up a week later, and couldn't cast spells for all of Wolf Moon." He raised a finger. "But the worst part is? I haven't been able to get a drink in any alehouse in Dancruan since. People stare and jump and pour drinks onto the table instead of in my cup."</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">At that moment, Briar appeared with food, so Tris didn't have the chance to tell the well-dressed mage she found it hard to believe he'd ever frequented alehouses in Dancruan. Quen, story told, seemed just as happy to take the opportunity of Briar being tray-laden with food, fruit juice, and cream puffs to make a line for Berenene. </span> <span class="md-pair-s"><em><span class="md-plain">Nervous a green mage is going to steal your precious Empress?</span></em> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">The green mage in question seemed more interested in stealing puffs off the plates </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">he'd</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> brought her while she shuffled her skirts to make room for him and his burdens on the railing. She smiled at him crookedly. "Thanks for the food."</span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p">
  <span class="md-plain">Briar grinned back. "You're welcome. And a second helping of welcomes for the rescue."</span>
</p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">She glanced at Quen's retreating back. "Actually, he was being friendly." She gave Briar a pointed look. "People tend to be nicer to you if you </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">don't</span> </em> <span class="md-plain"> spend three hours alone in a greenhouse with their lover, you know."</span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p"><span class="md-plain">Briar gave her his best innocent look, and tapped the edge of her plate with his toe. The last cream puff —when had he had time to steal all </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">six</span></em><span class="md-plain">?—arced through the air. Since each hand already held two, he caught it in his mouth, and mumbled something that sounded like </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">"I wouldn't know."</span> </em> </span> </span></p><p class="md-end-block md-p md-focus"><span class="md-plain">Knowing he expected her to scowl, she smiled back at him instead. She supposed having your foster-brother steal your pastries must be the lot of great mages as well, but doubted Quen had as good a story on the subject. She almost reached out with her mind to share the joke, but drew back. They sat on the railing, Briar wolfing pastries and grinning, Tris working her way though a plate of dumplings. </span> <span class="md-pair-s"> <em> <span class="md-plain">It's not our bond. But it's a start.</span> </em> </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to mistrali for the inspiration!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>